Birthday Tributes
by Just Mina
Summary: Celebrating Harry Potter characters' birthdays. Enjoy, or not. Updated only on their birthdays. Hoping to do all characters whose birthdays we know. Latest chapter — McGonagall.
1. Ginny Weasley

A/N: J.K. Rowling owns anything and everything that you recognise as canon.

* * *

**Ginevra "Ginny" Molly Potter (née Weasley)**

**11 August 1981**

* * *

Molly smiled at Ginny as she told off her eldest son. After dealing with Fred and George, Molly knew that James II was not going to listen.

But that didn't matter — Ginny was a Gryffindor, like all her family and she wasn't afraid to pass up an opportunity to scold her son, hoping it would get through to him.

That was nothing at all like her brothers, whom would all just shrug and carry on with their lives.

But Ginny was special — in more ways than one.

She was the first girl in their family.

She was the youngest of the seven siblings.

And so, she was quite different from all her brothers.

She had different ways of dealing with everything, but not with any less fierceness.

Having six older brothers had definitely toughened Ginny up — Molly wondered that if she hadn't any older brothers, would she have been able to survive the war?

Ginny may have had the war the hardest out of most of them.

The love of her life was destined to be the one to destroy the Dark Lord — there was no way out of that.

One of her brothers had abandoned their family for the longest time.

Another one of her brothers had died in the war — which to this day, was still quite a touchy subject.

And the brother she was closest to — had disappeared for the longest time, along with the love of her life, and she had no idea what had happened to any of them.

And during this time, Ginny had to stay at Hogwarts and re-establish Dumbledore's Army along with Neville and Luna of course.

Her daughter was quite a fierce Gryffindor.

Oh _Merlin_. Even after all these years, Molly still got giddy at the thought of the phrase — her _daughter_.

Because obviously, for the longest time, it was son. Six times.

Now it wasn't that Molly didn't appreciate all her sons, it was just that as a female, she wanted a daughter to whom she could teach all about maternal things. She remembered how absolutely wonderful it was holding her baby daughter for the first time. Her first baby girl.

She loved dressing Ginny up in pretty, cute dresses and playing with her hair — she was adorable.

Sons were great too — but after six of them, it gets kind of tiring. Besides, for a mother, it's not the same — you couldn't force your son into a dress and make his hair.

Well, you could, but it would be quite unusual.

Molly smiled at her first ever daughter — who had grown into quite the fierce woman.

Ginevra Molly Potter.

A fierce warrior — a remarkable Quidditch player — a significant witch — one of many heroes — a loving but strict mother — an independent Gryffindor — a strong-willed friend — and most important of all …

… her lovely baby girl.

* * *

Rose smiled in satisfaction at her cousin getting told off by his mother.

She knew her aunt and she knew that James was not going to be let off easily.

For as long as she could remember, Rose had admired her aunt Ginny for her harshness. It may seem weird, but Ginny was always Rose's favourite aunt.

She admired how Ginny was never afraid to speak her opinion — she knew when to be harsh and when to be tactful.

She was a truly beautiful woman, who never felt the need to overreact about her appearance.

She never let being female get in the way of her life. She had wanted to play Quidditch professionally, and had done so — for the Holyhead Harpies.

She was never afraid to be who she truly was — though a woman, Ginny would still put on an old pair of jeans and coach them all on their Quidditch skills, saying that she was not going to have rubbish Quidditch players in the family.

She wasn't afraid to hex anyone who deserved it — whether it be Uncle Harry's ungrateful uncle, Uncle Ron, or even just Uncle Harry for eating all the treacle tart.

How her eyes could be caring and full of love one minute, and the next, she could be ready for a duel.

When Rose was in Ravenclaw, and she'd told her family about it — she was kind of scared her her aunt would be disappointed in her. But to her surprise, Ginny hugged her and told her that she had better pass with all her OWLs or else she'd have Ginny to answer to.

She also wondered what aunt Ginny would say to her when she found out about their friendship with Scorpius Malfoy.

It was true, she was rendered speechless but she made no immediate judgements (well, if she did, she didn't say anything). And afterwards, Ginny had attempted at being nice to Scorpius Malfoy.

She hadn't succeeded much, but Rose was simply thankful for her trying.

(But still, after this, Ginny had taught Rose and trained her in the Bat-Bogey Hex like she knew it, in case the need for it ever came up).

Rose didn't know what it was that drew her to her aunt. But after finding out about her Hogwarts years, Rose realised that they had bonded over the fact that they made unusual decisions, even if those decisions were not fully supported by her family.

Aunt Ginny had wanted to fight in the Battle for Hogwarts.

Rose had wanted to be in Ravenclaw House.

Aunt Ginny had not been afraid to date one of her brother's room-mates.

Rose had not been afraid to stand up for Scorpius.

Aunt Ginny had pulled through when Uncle Harry had decided to break up with her and disappear for about a year.

Rose had finally overcome her fear of flying after the most-unwanted Thestral-ride that had shaken her up about three-four years ago.

Aunt Ginny had encouraged Luna and Neville to be friends and convinced them that they were important.

Rose had chosen to stay and support Scorpius instead of going home to the most important Christmas of her family's life.

Aunt Ginny had fought in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries.

Rose had punched Lucius Malfoy square in the face.

Ginny caught Rose's eye and the two smiled, knowing that they had more in common than just the red hair and freckles.

Rose remembered one time where she had told her aunt that she was awesome.

Ginny grinned and told Rose that in a family of idiotic brothers, it wasn't at all difficult.

* * *

Luna watched on as Ginny spoke to an intimidated blond boy who went by the name of Scorpius Malfoy.

He had been discovered to be Al and Rosie's best friend a while ago and the family was rendered speechless by it.

There were members who tried to look past his last name, such as Molly, Hermione, Harry, Audrey and now …

Ginny.

Luna knew that right now, Ginny was only telling Scorpius that if he was ever a bad friend to her niece and son, he'd have hell to pay.

Luna smiled. Ginny had been her first friend — who had stood up for her, befriended her and introduced her to this wonderful lovable family. Ginny hadn't judged Luna by the stereotypes of what others had made up, Ginny had personally gotten to know Luna by herself.

She had introduced her friends and in the end, Luna had both become a member of Dumbledore's Army and fought in the Battle of Department of Mysteries.

But most of all, Ginny had been the reason that Luna had friends. Ginny had been the reason that Luna had something to stand up for.

Ginny had given Luna's name to her daughter — calling her a dear friend.

Luna didn't know if she could be happier.

Their sons, Lorcan and James were best friends, but still, there was one thing Luna was absolutely sure of.

If Luna Scamander ever had a daughter, her name would be Ginny.

* * *

Bill watched his baby sister as she sat on the couch, chatting with Hermione, whilst yelling at James to calm down.

Looking at her now, Bill couldn't believe that this was his baby sister, who had been born the year before he went to Hogwarts.

Due to him being the oldest, and her the youngest, the two had been close siblings (not closer than Fred and George, but they were twins, so that was different).

He remembered that by the time Ginny was ready for Hogwarts, he had already left the school.

Bill knew that since his sister was a girl, she would be the recipient of the most protectiveness — she was the youngest girl with six brothers, what did you expect?

But Bill also knew his sister.

Ginny had always been a fighter.

She had a significantly powerful Bat-Bogey Hex that Bill felt sorry for whoever was on the receiving end of it.

She had never been afraid to be herself and voice her own opinions.

She had always been independent and strong-willed — never letting anyone fight for her.

The only thing he could remember as being Ginny's fault — was her love for Harry.

Back when it was just a school-crush on The-Boy-who-Lived — she had nearly died. But Harry had saved her.

With Hermione's advice, Ginny had realised how ridiculous she was being and became the girl she was supposed to be.

Bill hated Voldemort for many reasons.

One, for killing his brother Fred.

The other, for messing with his baby sister's mind.

The evil wizard had manipulated his baby sister into opening the Chamber of Secrets and fed on her life force. In her first year, no less.

If it hadn't been for Harry, Ginny would not've been alive and here with them.

Ginny caught his eye and smiled at him. Bill smiled back.

He was proud to have Ginny as a sister.

He was proud of his baby sister for taking her first-year and learning from her mistakes and growing into the wonderful and fierce witch she was today.

* * *

_Happy birthday Gin._


	2. Percy Weasley

A/N: J.K. Rowling owns anything and everything that you recognise as canon.

* * *

**Percy Ignatius Weasley**

**22 August 1976**

* * *

In some ways, Hermione Weasley could relate to her brother-in-law.

Since, they both had quite the study habits.

From her first-year, Hermione had admired Percy because he was what she wanted to be.

Intelligent, studious, Prefect, Head Boy/Girl, and dearly loved.

Hermione had been disappointed when she'd learned of Percy's lack of loyalty to his family in their darkest hours.

Hermione knew that to this day, Percy hadn't forgiven himself. But like his family, Hermione had forgiven him. She had been part of the few who'd forgiven him first.

Not many people knew this but during the reconstruction of the Ministry (and the Wizarding World in general), and Hermione and Harry had stayed in the Burrow for a while, Hermione and Percy had bonded. Since they were both quite studious, they stayed up in the late night, studying random topics and books just to fill the void that the war had left them with.

It was just silent reading for the first few nights.

Then came the talks.

Originally, it was just Percy talking to himself but Hermione had joined in. They'd talked and Hermione felt that she had learnt a lot about her brother-in-law than she originally thought.

She learned that Percy was only so ambitious to become Minister for Magic because he had originally wanted to put his family out of their monetary grief.

She learned that Percy still felt that it should've been him instead of Fred that day.

She learned that Percy deeply regretted his mistakes, much more than they thought.

She learned that Percy often felt the odd one out of his siblings. Bill and Charlie were close both in age and bond; and Bill also was close to Ginny. Fred and George were inseparable. Ron and Ginny were also close in age and bond. So Percy was often left alone in the middle of the night with only his books to keep him company. (Hermione knew how this felt.)

She learned that Percy did really love studying — his motivation had been and still was, his desire to create a better future for his financially poor but still full of love and happiness family.

She learned that even though Fred and George had annoying antics, he still loved his little brothers dearly.

Even on his wedding day, (which was the latest out of the Weasley siblings) Hermione had told Percy that he was forgiven and loved and now was the time to move on.

(Of course the other members of their large loving family had been confused at their new-found friendship [but then again, George had said, it was about time the bookworms opened up their own study club].)

* * *

Lucy didn't care what anyone else said or thought, she loved her father more than anything or anyone in the world.

Before she knew about the war or what her family had gone through, her father was an amazing tall, firm tower that tried hard (with good intentions) to keep his family together, safe and happy.

He wasn't strict, he was firm.

He wasn't open, he was loving and caring (Lucy was convinced this was a Weasley trait recognisable among the red hair and freckles).

He wasn't loud, but the tone of his voice was enough to silence them.

He never shouted, but it was the tired look in his eyes that stabbed Lucy's heart with guilt.

He didn't always say yes to their wishes, but he would hold them and explain to them calmly why.

Sometimes, Lucy woke up in the middle of the night and she would find her father hard at work in his study. She would bring him a snack and they'd chat for a while.

Even when Lucy started Hogwarts, she wrote to her father every week. She came back for every holiday she was allowed and their midnight chats never did end.

When her grandfather died, Lucy began having nightmares and instead of talking to her father about it, she would sit with him and watch him as he worked — occasionally asking what he was doing.

He never pushed her to answer him, he was patient, with everything. She only talked about her nightmares when she wanted to.

She asked him how he felt about grandfather's death. He went silent and said that her grandfather decided to visit her uncle.

It was the first time she had seen her father cry. She never wanted to see that again.

What she'd learned about her father was that he was strong.

Lucy loved her father and she always would.

He was strong. He was smart. He was hard-working. He loved his family. He was brave. He was patient.

All in all, Lucy couldn't have asked for a better father.

* * *

Sometimes, Audrey wished Percy didn't blame himself for Fred's death so much.

Audrey knew that Percy did indeed love all of his brothers (and sister), and so he had been ecstatic that Fred had forgiven him first, so naturally, he had been devastated that Fred had been taken from them.

On their wedding day, Hermione (one of her husband's sister-in-laws) had taken Audrey aside and told her that Percy still blamed himself for Fred's death and as his new wife, it was her job to help Percy realise that it wasn't his fault.

Audrey had tried — she really had.

Then, their first daughter, Molly Audrey was born. (Needless to say, Audrey's mother-in-law had been quite teary-eyed at this and strangled her son in a hug.)

It was then that Audrey realised that in all her time of knowing Percy, she had never before seen her husband cry.

Audrey believed that holding his first baby girl showed Percy that Fred's death was not his fault — they were at war, and war is where people die, no matter what side they're fighting on.

The birth of their first daughter had been a miracle.

Audrey saw how it had changed Percy.

He had become happier — his smile had become truly genuine; his laugh had become full; his eyes had shone with pride at his Molly.

Still, Percy always visited his brother's grave on the night of the anniversary — Audrey had gone with him for the first time Molly was born. Percy talked to Fred's grave — he had told his brother that this was his newest niece. And he had done so smiling, but tearful.

Percy often used to say that he did not deserve a family that still loved him so dearly even after he betrayed them in their darkest hour. He also believed this very strongly, for the longest time.

But Audrey was glad to notice, that Percy had never once said that he didn't deserve her, Molly or even Lucy.

Audrey smiled at her husband, knowing that her love for him was still fresh, even now as Lucy had gone to Hogwarts.

She had fell in love with Percy Weasley.

Not Percy Weasley, the blindly ambitious fool of a boy who cared more about his studies than his family, but Percy Weasley, the hard-working, kind and strong hero of a man who openly loved and cared about his family.

Being the one to marry Percy, Audrey truly felt she was the luckiest witch in the world. Even luckier than Ginny Potter, who had married the saviour of the Wizarding World.

Audrey couldn't be happier, and she hoped that Percy was the same.

After all, a wizard who had turned his life around to something so amazing, after being through so much, did deserve true happiness and nothing less.

* * *

_Happy birthday Perce._

* * *

A/N: Today was results' day in our school — really fitting for Percy's birthday, don't you think so? ;D I got nothing but _A*_s in mine! WOO! Thanks Perce!

I love Percy, I really do. He's my favourite Weasley brother by far. Mostly because we're both studious, but also because I can understand how he feels about his family. And when he came back to his family, I could never do that (not that I need to :P) but Percy's my hero for coming back. Love you Perce.


	3. Hermione Granger

A/N: J.K. Rowling owns anything and everything that you recognise as canon.

* * *

**Hermione Jean Weasley (n****ée Granger)**

**19 September 1979**

* * *

Hermione Weasley was many things. A remarkable Muggle-born; an understanding mother; the brightest witch of her age; a saviour of the Wizarding World; a surviving warrior; a loyal wife; a great best friend; an outstanding daughter; an amazing daughter-in-law; a kind-hearted but firm woman; a truly defiant Gryffindor; and someone you didn't want to mess with — _ever_.

Everyone and anyone who knew Hermione knew that she had come a long way. Her journey was long and full of obstacles — she had gone from a bossy, bushy-haired little know-it-all to a loving but firm warrior of a witch.

Hermione wasn't a Ravenclaw — but she was remarkably intelligent.

Hermione wasn't gorgeous by superficial standards — but she had inner beauty that was truer and more beautiful than anything.

Hermione wasn't perfect — but her positives balanced out her negatives in a way that made her seem real more than anything.

And that was all a girl could ask for.

* * *

In all honesty, Draco Malfoy couldn't stand the Mud— _Muggle-born_ witch when he first saw her.

And now, if he was to give his opinion on her, he would say that she was (excluding her magical heritage) _decent_.

(No, not romantically.)

But she _had _left an impression on him.

Draco was one of those people who, although didn't like Hermione at all, (she was a Muggle-born Weasley; could there _be_ anything worse?!) knew it was in his best interest that he should probably not, as they say, "_mess with her_".

He had gotten a glimpse of this message back in his third year at Hogwarts when she punched him in the face like some wild beast.

He should've expected this behaviour of hers; since she was one, a girl, two, a Muggle-born, and three, into _Weasley_.

But he wasn't going to tell her that.

Still, as he watched Scorpius say goodbye to his best friends, one of which was the aforementioned witch's daughter, he reflected on how said witch had earned his respect.

He regretted it; and wished he could forget it, but he had seen this Muggle-born witch be tortured by his aunt Bella.

No, not Muggle torture; but actual, real, torturous pain; _the Cruciatus Curse_. An Unforgivably powerful, indescribably painful and unrepeatable torture of the worst kind.

It was in that moment that Draco had seen Hermione's true strength; but what he didn't know would've shocked him.

When he found out from Rose that Hermione had actually been lying during her torture-session with Aunt Bella; Draco's respect for Rose's mother sky-rocketed.

He then realised why the Sorting Hat had placed the Muggle-born in Gryffindor instead of Ravenclaw.

For one, she was being tortured; as in the actual Cruciatus Curse — the most powerful torture curse in all of the wizarding community.

Another, she was tortured _by_ Bellatrix Lestrange, a cruel witch who was in love with the worst most evil wizard to ever have lived. No other witch would have survived.

_Especially_ not a Muggle-born.

But Hermione Gra— _Weasley_ had not only survived this situation, but she had lied.

To Bellatrix Lestrange.

Whilst being tortured.

With the Cruciatus Curse.

…

So, yes, Draco Malfoy _did_ respect Hermione Weasley.

But he wasn't going to tell her that.

* * *

Molly smiled at the arrival of Hermione and Hugo.

Hermione was an amazing daughter-in-law and it was about time she and Ron came out of their shells and confessed.

She greeted Hugo; the boy who wouldn't know what his mother had gone through.

The boy who wouldn't know how far his mother had come.

She remembered Hermione as a snotty bossy know-it-all of a girl that Ron had complained much about.

But looking at her now, no-one would have believed that this was that very same gi— _woman_.

Because Hermione Weasley was a woman.

Oh, Hermione Weasley, it was about time that phrase was official and real.

As a mother, Molly knew that Hermione would grow up to be one of her daughter-in-laws because of how Ron let her call him "Ronald".

Now, Molly hadn't been there with them during their time at Hogwarts, but she had heard snippets of stories from overhearing them being told to her grandchildren.

Hermione was a remarkable witch.

She was bright, intelligent and wise.

She was loving, firm and kind-hearted.

She was beautiful, unforgettable and exquisite.

Hermione had been the first witch to capture and reveal that horrid Skeeter woman's dreadful secret.

Molly felt ashamed that she had even remotely believed Skeeter's article about Hermione when in reality it was all obviously lies. And at the end of the year when Hermione had actually uncovered Skeeter's secret and exposed her fairly; Molly was proud. It was the first sign that Hermione was a remarkable witch not to be underestimated.

Hermione had been the first witch to survive Bellatrix Lestrange's Cruciatus Curse; and lie to her face whilst being tortured.

Thank Merlin that woman was dead. Molly felt a little bit proud to have been the one who got rid of that horrid soul. Now when Molly first found out about this, she had hugged Hermione so hard that she may have cracked a rib. To find out that Hermione had been tortured by that horror, scared Molly half to death. But to find out that Hermione had actually summoned enough strength to lie to Bellatrix was too much to handle at first. But then, as the information sunk in, Molly had never felt more prouder of her then-future daughter-in-law.

Hermione had been the first witch to have her heart broken in the middle of a war yet still carried on to help defeat the darkest of wizards.

Of course Molly had been disappointed with Ron at this, to know that Hermione created this balance of being moody yet still set on looking for the Horcruxes was just beyond belief. Molly knew that every girl on this planet would've handled the situation differently but knowing that Hermione was strong enough to still be looking to defeat Voldemort when one of her two sources of comfort had gone, was too amazing for words.

The young girl had already lost her parents; then the love of her life, yet she still carried on looking for the keys to defeating the darkest of wizards.

The young girl had been tortured by one of the most powerful and evil souls to ever have existed, yet she still had enough strength to lie to her face convincingly.

The young girl had been through so much and had become a beautiful, wonderful, amazingly remarkable woman of a witch.

And Molly could not have been more prouder to have this woman as her daughter-in-law.

(Though it was a shame Hermione's kids wouldn't know just how amazing their mother truly was.)

* * *

_Happy birthday 'Mione._


	4. Garrick Ollivander

A/N: J.K. Rowling owns anything and everything that you recognise as canon.

* * *

**Garrick Ollivander**

**25 September (in or prior to 1919)**

* * *

If there was anything every magical child was sure of; it was that Mr Ollivander was an amazing man and wizard.

People always loved coming to Ollivander's (mostly for their brand new wands), but also because they wanted to see the man who would witness their meeting with their very first wand.

Like Mr Ollivander used to say, he was indeed a curious man; unusually magical, but in a cool way.

For instance, his ability to remember every wand he had ever sold; still to this day.

Another, his ability to know which wand wanted what wizard just by ordinary measurements.

And the most special, his unrivalled ability to always find a wand for every potential wizard or witch who walked through his door.

* * *

Every now and then, Luna came to visit Mr G. Ollivander himself, in his resumed shop at Diagon Alley.

She didn't come for wands; she came just to check how Mr Ollivander was doing — after all, they had both had struggled to survive in the basement of Malfoy Manor. It had been a hard time for them both and yet, they had both made it out alive. Luna had been strong; she'd already dealt with her mother's death. But Mr Ollivander, she didn't know he'd lost a daughter …

Luna came frequently after the war, because everyone was alone and broken — including Luna herself. However, as time went on, reconstruction became more profound, people began healing, light and hope was restored to the wizarding world, and as the next generation's time began, Luna's visits became less and less frequent.

Luna only stopped coming because she had her own family to raise, and because she still had expeditions to go on. As well as this, Luna could tell that every time a child walked in through the shop door in search of a wand, Mr Ollivander would heal a little bit more.

It would take time, but Mr Ollivander would be okay.

* * *

Luna looked back at her wand and remembered the day she had gotten her wand.

Her mother couldn't make it, unfortunately, but she would've been proud.

Luna remembered stepping into the shop for the very first time; remembered that tingly secret but powerful magic she felt entering the shop for the first time — she still felt that magic every time she came in. And although the magic had faded a little since the war, the magic was still prominent.

She remembered looking up at Mr Ollivander's pale silvery eyes, glowing like the moon, like her name in the darkness of the shop in wonder.

She remembered the anticipation of knowing that her wand would be here in this very shop and would be given to her by this very wizard.

She remembered wondering how this old man knew which wand would be hers; would he actually get it right? How would he?

She remembered doubting him in whether or not he actually knew every wand he'd sold; he could just be saying that for business. But all her doubt was eradicated when he recited her mother's wand in perfect fluency. Then, she'd looked up at him and wondered how strange it was for him, to see descendants of his customers come to his shop — year after year.

But then she thought, it was kind of cool — like a kind of time-travelling adventure.

* * *

There were times in Garrick Ollivander's life when he was asked question that did not pertain to his

wandlore business.

For instance, once Ollivander was asked if he ever got lonely. To the asker's surprise, the elder Ravenclaw said no.

The shop-owner explained that not only did he reside in Diagon Alley — an area always filled with wizards and witches who did drop by to say hi, to visit the shop from where they'd be getting their own wand or the ever favourite, coming to get their new wands — but that he also had a family; a wonderful son and a late but lovely daughter, both of whom he loved dearly.

Another time, he was asked how he felt knowing that he had been the one to present the wands of the majority of the Hogwarts population.

In reply, Ollivander said that one, he had never seen it that way before, and two, that he had only done his duty — he had listened to the wands and presented them to the wizard or witch that they chose.

He only received a blank face in response to this.

Personally, Garrick felt that not enough people appreciated the wonders of wandlore — there were barely any people who tried to study wandlore. He had often contemplated whether or not to ask the Hogwarts headmaster to instate wandlore as a core subject.

The only person that Garrick shared this opinion of his with was his only son, and now, only child.

In reply, the younger wizard had replied, "Maybe no-one takes wandlore any more because you do such a great job of it; they don't want to fail at meeting your unrivalled standards."

Now, maybe the boy just a really good way with words, or maybe his father just loved him too much but at this sentence that summed up the opinion of the winzarding community only rendered Ollivander speechlessly proud.

It kind of made him look forward to the day when his son would take over the shop — when Garrick himself wouldn't be there.

Because that day would come someday. It was inevitable.

But for now, Garrick Ollivander only cherished his life, and thanked the divine force that he had lived this far.

Because there was no magic than seeing a young wizard or witch's eyes light up at the union of their wand. It was a kind of unrepeatable special.

Things like that have to be treasured.

* * *

_Happy birthday Mr Ollivander._


	5. Quirinus Quirrell

A/N: J.K. Rowling owns anything and everything that you recognise as canon.

* * *

**Quirinus Quirrell**

**26 September (1950s or 1960s)**

* * *

Quirrell's story had always been an interesting one.

But Ron didn't like it at all. It reminded him of what he could've been.

Quirrell often felt weak and feeble.

Ron often felt like nothing.

Quirrell was often picked on and teased.

Ron's brothers meant well, but they could be insensitive too.

Quirrell had gotten sick of the teasing and left to find Voldemort.

Ron had gotten sick of Harry and Hermione's closeness and had abandoned them.

Both of them had come back.

But Quirrell had found Voldemort.

And Ron had been led back by his love for Hermione.

Sometimes Harry wondered, if Quirrell had someone to love, would he have turned out the same?

Or would it be different to what it was?

Ginny told him not to worry about that because otherwise, he, Ron and Hermione wouldn't have been such good friends.

And even though it was the only thing they could find positive about Quirrell, at least there was one.

But sometimes, that wasn't enough.

* * *

Hermione, who had gone into the history of Professor Quirrell, in order to understand him and prevent any of this ever happening again; learned quite a lot about her ex-Professor.

She learned how he had been a shy, timid, nervous little Ravenclaw during his time at Hogwarts. She had learned how he had been bullied or teased about this which pushed him onto the path of evil; the path towards evil. Apparently, he had grown an interest for the Dark Arts and had had some idea that Dark Arts would give him power; power to make the world realise that he was more than just a timid little boy.

This point was where Hermione found that Professor Quirrell had turned from a shy little boy who had directed all these negative feelings towards his thirst for the spotlight.

Quirrell, Hermione found, was a man who did not like to be underestimated; and would do things to prove to the world that they were wrong about him.

It was an awful thought, but Hermione wondered if she had been in Ravenclaw; would she have been friends with Harry and Ron? Would she have played such a significant role in protecting the good of the world? Or would she have turned out like Quirrell — bitter and resentful and with a quest to stand out, by whatever means necessary? Would she have been so blinded by her own insecurity that she would endanger her own life just for selfish reasons?

Hermione tried not to think about that — and instead focused on how thankful she was that she had befriended Harry and Ron.

They may have saved Hermione from herself.

But then Hermione wondered — would Quirrell have been different … if he had had friends of his own?

Professor Snape had only ever had one friend — and it was still enough to keep him in the light.

So could it be that if Quirrell had a friend or two, he would've grown up to do something significant and _good_ with his life?

Would Quirrell have fought _against_ Voldemort?

It was a strange and uncomfortable thought because — and Hermione knew this — Quirrell had been the one to let the troll in; and indirectly, Quirrell had created a bond that had been nick-named the "Golden Trio."

Sadly, Quirrell never lived long enough to find this out.

* * *

Remembering what Harry had told them about Pettigrew's death, Hermione wondered if Quirrell ever felt remorse or regret or anything remotely close.

Because unlike Voldemort, Quirrell had _chosen_ to stive towards the Dark Arts. Voldemort had never been shown love, and hadn't even been a product of love; just lies.

If there had been a way to separate Quirrell and Voldemort, without Quirrell dying — would the latter have felt any regret? (The former had clearly state that he didn't.)

Harry and Ron often told Hermione to stay away from Quirrell's story — because it was a thing of the past, and like Voldemort, should be forgotten.

But Hermione believed in the saying that those who didn't learn from history, were doomed to repeat it.

So Hermione went farther to ensure that the "Quirrell mistake" was never existent in the next generation of Weasleys.

When she found out (like the rest) that Al had been in Slytherin, Hermione had become terrified.

But a few years on, she found that her nephew and herself had the one factor that Quirrell unfortunately didn't — friends to keep them on the path of light.

* * *

Lucy, Percy's daughter, and Rose, her own daughter, had both thankfully agreed with Hermione on the theory that all Quirrell needed was a friend.

Harry and Ron however, believed the opposite — that Quirrell or anyone else who had willingly given up their soul for Voldemort, was evil.

_If only they'd see_.

If only Quirrell had had a friend.

If only he hadn't been too late.

Quirrell was a remarkable young wizard, but he'd made a few thoroughly significant mistakes.

And most unfortunately, like most things, it had been too late for Quirrell.

Hermione almost wished she could go back and fix things.

Lucy and Rose however, worked on ensuring that neither Trent nor Scorpius ever felt like that.

It was only when Hugo had said that if it hadn't been for Quirrell, he may not exist right now, that Hermione truly understood what Harry and Ron had been trying to say.

Unfair things happened to unfortunate people because they'd had a particularly unjust set of experiences that caused them to make some unwise decisions.

These unwise decisions had been their downfall; but in the end, everything happened for a reason.

Quirrell's life alone may not seem particularly uplifting, but looking at what set of events his decisions had triggered was enough to convince Hermione that maybe it was meant to be.

Quirinus Quirrell had gone and died without knowing any of this, but just in case, Hermione sent him a silent thanks.

For everything that had come after his death, for Hugo, and for Rose.

* * *

_Happy birthday Quirrell._


	6. Minerva McGonagall

A/N: J.K. Rowling owns anything and everything that you recognise as canon.

* * *

**Minerva McGonagall**

**4 October 1935**

* * *

To most people, Minerva McGonagall always came across as a Ravenclaw — so it was always quite intriguing to wonder what it was that made her a Gryffindor.

(That was just one of the things she had in common with one of her brightest students: Hermione Granger — Hermione Weasley actually.)

Many students looked up to Professor McGonagall because she was quite the role model — fair, brave, intelligent, firm, but still with a heart that cared for her Gryffindors.

(And let's not even get started on her love for Quidditch.)

Even Draco couldn't say anything bad about the Professor — except that she was in Gryffindor. Still, he never said this in her presence, just because he valued his life a bit more than his reputation.

* * *

Minerva was intelligent.

Minerva was caring.

And if anyone who knew her past, knew that Minerva was strong.

It was when she retired from her role as Headmistress of Hogwarts that people realised that Minerva McGonagall too was real. She made an excellent headmistress, a great role model and was a remarkable witch — but like every other witch or wizard of her time, she too had gone through a war — and even Minerva McGonagall needed a break sometimes.

* * *

She had let Harry on the Gryffindor Quidditch Team in his first year — it was the first step that Harry Potter took in fulfilling the many great expectations he was a victim of. And she had made a wise choice — as Harry had been a remarkably wonderful improvement to the team; even in his first year — and this was especially significant for someone who didn't even know what Quidditch was a few months prior — Harry Potter had won his first match and it had been down to McGonagall's excellent judgement that he got the chance to do so. (Though Harry should probably have thanked her for this.)

She had stood her ground against Umbridge — the evil woman had tried to send off Trelawney and Hagrid and on both occasions, Minerva had defended her colleagues. She didn't even like Trelawney! She had taken four Stunning Spells to the chest for her students and for Hagrid. This was one of the moments that proved just how much of a Gryffindor McGonagall truly was. And to be honest, no Gryffindor could've asked for a better Head of House. Still maintaining her ground against the ex-High Inquisitor, McGonagall managed to disregard Professor Umbridge with as little respect and subtle words as possible — another feature that the students (who also shared her intense dislike for Umbridge) loved about their Transfiguration.

She had defended her school when the time came — Voldemort may have been powerful and everything, but there was no way he was going to lay a hand on her home. Not if she had anything to say about it. Her Gryffindors had fought alongside her; and Minerva couldn't've been more prouder than that. She had managed to hold her own against so many Death Eaters all at once, even after going through so much — she had already been a part of the previous war — without fail. She had gone against Snape; against the Carrows; and aided their only hope. All in the same day. Hogwarts was her home — a place for wizards and witches to come from many different places and learn about the wonders of magic together, all whilst forming bonds between themselves.

She had looked after her students when the battle came to them — it was inevitable, with the Carrows reinforcing the Dark Arts and Snape not disagreeing with them, it was obvious that the battle would be soon. Snape had fled like a coward; Dumbledore was dead; and Harry Potter had been missing for months — it was McGonagall's time to step up and lead her students into battle; whilst ensuring their safety. But deep down, she knew that some of her Gryffindors, (for instance Ginevra Weasley) would stay behind and fight — as if there was no age limit. Because — and McGonagall knew better than anyone — a Gryffindor is always capable of defending themselves, no matter the age.

She had tried to convince Dumbledore that living with the Dursleys was a bad idea — seriously though, what had Albus been thinking? Harry had been the product of James and Lily — two absolutely wonderful, remarkable, wonderful ex-students who had good hearts (even though one of them wasn't at first). How Lily had been related to these people was beyond McGonagall. Why did Albus think that letting Harry live here was a good idea? Was it worth it — letting Harry be abused just so he grows up to be modest? Sure Dumbledore was a great and wise wizard, but sometimes McGonagall felt that he had been affected by his old age.

She had taken on the role of Headmistress of Hogwarts when the situation called for it — despite just finishing a war, losing Dumbledore, and finally, _finally_, ridding the world of Voldemort, there was finally peace in the world. But like all wars, scars were left — on the spirits of her students, on the ancient castle, on herself, but still, the wizarding community had been drained. Drained of spirit, power and some, hope. The world was in ruins but it wasn't going to fix itself. They had to do something. They had to start with Hogwarts, and McGonagall took on the role of Headmistress. Snape was dead; Dumbledore was dead; and everyone had other duties to attend to. She however, was the Deputy Headmistress, and this was her duty. And she fulfilled it — stayed Headmistress until she was absolutely sure that Hogwarts was going to be fine without her.

Maybe it was because she had lost both Dougal McGregor and Elphinstone Urquart, and known the pain of losing something so dear to you — that Minerva had such a dedicated drive to protect her students.

* * *

But one thing was sure; anyone who knew McGonagall would be proud of her.

Robert McGonagall Jr. and Malcolm McGonagall were infinitely proud of their elder sister.

Gryffindors under the lead of Minerva were incredibly thankful for such a wonderful Head of House.

And as sure as the Chudley Cannons coming last again; Elphinstone would've been the proudest of his dear wife for all that she had accomplished despite his untimely unfortunate death.

* * *

_Happy birthday Professor McGonagall._


End file.
